Exteriorly illuminated reflector for lighting fixtures



2,381,792 EXTERIORILY ILLUMINATED REFLECTOR FOR LIGHTING FIXTURES G. P. WAKEFIELD Fiied.Sept. 16, 1942.

INVENTOR.

GEORGE PlVYAKEFlELD BY i ATTQRNEYS f Patented Aug. 7, 1945 Qzgsniaa rzxrcaronnrintmvnmrsn,mzml ioron "fon-nrenrm HxtGeorgelB- GTFIXTIlRES" 1 Wakefield, rmament.assist; :ito. EheRE-W. rwakefieldlBrasssfllompany, than... i

applica ions-s mmer 16, 1942;Seriail 2 odd-11mins. (chain-etc)- l "The presentfinvention, relating last-indicated to llgliting'iixtures,ihas more particular regard to -theimprovement of .such'jfixtures wheredsigned rimarily for main indirectjlighting. I'In suchifix- .turesQas' is well understoo'dfa more .Oflessopaque reflectoriof varying iiorm ,is placed 'beneath'. the slight sourcelto, direct the light therefrom upwardly either againstthe ceiling or other speciallyproyided reflecting surface. While fthis arrange- 'mentha's 'well recognized advanta es; such .refiector is' present as a dark object :in the area .of illumination andiis more orjle'ss obtrusive.

:An idbject of the present invention accordingly i'siito nroyide means wherebyirom thesame light LYSQUTCG thB ,exteriorof such a reflectorasisused in dndirectlighting maybe suff ciently illuminated .to avoid the ,eftectjustnoted.

"Another. object is to provide meansforefiecting the result stated whichwill at the same time pro- 'vide an ornamental effect.

To the accomplishment of the.foregoingandre 'latedL ends,--said invention; then, c'onsistsof'the jrneans' hereinafter fully described .and particularly pointed out in theclaims. 'fThejanneXQd drawing and the followin .del sc iipliioii'setforth in ,detail certain Imeohanism .enibodying the invention, such disclosed means goonstituting; however, but ;one,of various mechanical'forms .irrwhich the principle of the invention maybe usedl' In saidannexed'drawing:

" Tig. l-is a'perspective view. of anindirect'li'ghting fixture designed .torbe suspended from the ceiling of a room, such fixture embodying my present improvements;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of such fixture;

Fig. 3 is a broken sectional view thereof taken on a plane indicated by the line 3-3 Fig. 2;

i Fig. 4 is a transverse section, similar to that of Fig. 2, but more or less diagrammatic in character, and illustrating a modification in construction; and

5 is a perspective view similar to that of Fig. 1 but illustrating a different type ofindirect lighting fixture.

The fixture illustrated in Fig. 1 is not only of the type designed for indirect lighting, but is of elongated form so as to be adapted to receive one or more elongated illuminators such as, for example, the fluorescent lighting tubes which are 7 becoming increasingly popular as a source of illumination for working spaces as well as for offices and rooms in residences.

As best illustrated in Fig. 2!, such illustrative to direct upwardly fixture is designed to be suspended froma ceiling b a' uita le Inay take on variousform's, prising en'd members 1;,0

.p rts may be utilized I light'j from the tubes tem 1' whi 11* is attache sit-its: lower end to' a"lon'gitutlinally extending met-inframdor "'housing2. that'is provided witha removable cover '3 and is adapted to "receive,.inaddition'tothe necessary wiring, "such special e 1uipinent .as ,a ballast box 44' required where fluorescentilighting tubes; are employed. .The illustrated "fixture "includes two sockets or 'receptaclesli ateach' lend adapted to receive and,provide"e1ectric connection "for the corresponding ends of 'twofsuchtubesi.

The opaque reflector employed with the fixture side parts ll andbottompartslzfsuch side-and transverse direction. The latter .:may"b eitwo in number, as shownin Fig."2, foras showninjFig'. 4 and as will be presently described in more detail, more than two such transversely ,concaveb'ottom 'in thereflector. The interior surfaces of, such component partslofpthe reilectorwill be brightfplated or otherwise finished a d outwa d y f om a, p an definedby'the upper lfdges' offthe reflector'thc 6 or other eguivalentsources contained'withln the fixture. I )Along the meeting edges of the side and bottom parts of the reflector, slits I'3'areprovided and secured in alignment with each such "slit,;without the reflector is L a combined light reflecting and difiusing element l'6. suitable'me'ans mayfbe employed thus to secure .said element 1in'.pl ace' as, "for example, transverse webs' or clips "M which span the-slits and screws l'5"which'pas"s'therethrough and engage the element at intervals. The element will preferably be comprised of translucent, slightly diffuse, plastic tubing.

As a result of the construction and arrangement of parts just described, that part of the light radiating downwardly from each of tubular illuminators 6 which strikes the corresponding slit 13 will pass therethrough and in turn strike the element l6 aligned with such slit, the rays of light in question being indicated by the small arrows within the tubular body of the element at the lower right hand corner of Fig. 2. Because of the translucent character of the tubular element, such rays of light will in part serve to illuminate the latter and in part will be reflected from the interior surface generally in the directions indicated by the longer arrows on the same figure. Such reflected rays will strike against the exteriorly concave surfaces of the side and bottom parts of the reflector so as to illuminate the latter, the degree of such illumination being I ments disposed along additional ornamental cry to a central point.

. It will be understood v refiectorin my improved fixture as opaq'ue, this viously indicated, the principal difi'erence lies ih the provision of an increased number of .bottom parts I2 in the reflector. Thus four instead-of two are shown, these, as before, being outwardly concave in a transverse direction-just as are the The fixture, as

side parts ll of the reflector.

further shown, is designed to be fitted with four elongated tubular illuminators 6, one. being 10- cated more or less directly above each of such bottom reflector parts 12. In addition to having th combined light reflecting and diffusing eleslits at the meeting. lines of the side parts Hand adjacent bottomparts l2, similar such elements are provided at the meeting edges of, the bottom parts themselves, so thatea-chof the latter will be externally illuminated in the same manner as described above in connection withTthe first form of the fixture. Furthermore, along lines intermediate of and preferably centrally located with respect ,to the edges of the several bottom parts I 2 of the reflector, I attach narrow ribs of plastic material, which may be slightly frosted, which will stand out when the rays of light which are reflected from the tubular elements ISstrike thereagainst.

additional diffusion of light from the exterior of the otherwise opaque reflector is thus obtained. f

The principle of my improvement is of course not limited in application to an elongated type 1 of fixture, as illustratedin Fig. l, but as shown in Fig. 5 it may equally well be applied to a'fixture of general cylindrical or frustro-conical form. Here 'theannular side part of the reflector is outwardly concave as before and the bottom part 2| is likewise outwardly concave from its periph- The combined light reflecting and diffusing element 22 will be of encular form, fitted to a correspondingslit that is provided along the meeting circular line of such side and bottom parts of the reflector.

that in referring. to the eifect, as Well as an and a tubular, cylindrical element term is intended to connote any of the usual types of reflecting material which are employed in fixtures of the so-called indirect lighting type. It will be further understood that while I have 11- lustrated my improved construction as applied to pendent fixtures, such construction may be equall advantageously employed in connection with side wall fixtures of the 'type in question.

'Other modesof applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated 'by' any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I ther'efore.particularly point out and distinctly claim a my invention:

1. In a lighting fixture of the indirect type, the combination of an opaque reflector comprising parts presenting oppositely concaved angularly related exterior surfaces, a narrow slit being provided along the meeting edges of such surfaces, of translucent material disposed without said reflector in close fitting alignment parallel with such slit, said element being of substantially greater diameter than such slit and the interior surface of said element being formed and disposed to reflect light passing through said slit onto suchexterior surfaces of said reflector parts.

2. In a lighting fixture of the indirect type adapted to receive one or more elongated illuminators,the combination of an opaque reflector comprising elongated, exteriorly concave side parts in approximate parallelism with said illuminators, and an exteriorly concave bottom part, slits being provided along themeeting edges of said side and bottom parts, and a tubular, cylindrical element of translucent material disposed Without said reflector in alignment with each such slit. I

3. In a lighting fixture of the indirect type adapted to receive one or more elongated illuminators, the combination of 'an opaque reflector comprising elongated, exteriorly concave side parts in approximate parallelism with's'aid illuminators, and an exteriorly concave bottom part, 

